Longest Night of the Year

December 21, 2018

So I’ve seen some memes on social media that say that this year will be the first Christmas full moon since 1977, and that we won’t have another one for another 19 years. Well yes…that was true… three years ago in 2015. Those same memes are popping back up this year. Perhaps you’ve seen them. No, I have no idea why. Maybe because the idea of a full moon coinciding with Christmas day seems like fun… To me though, the great thing is, we get a full moon every month. And this month, no… it’s not on Christmas. But it is this weekend. And this weekend is the winter solstice.

Friday night it will be close but not technically a full moon, though almost no one will be able to tell.

Saturday night is the official Full Moon. And the great thing this month is that the full moon is an all-night moon… rising in the early evening and staying out almost all night, shedding a little light on the longest nights of the year.

Now if you’ve never looked at the moon through a telescope, do it this weekend. Personally, I like to look at a moon with a shadow, like a gibbous, crescent, or quarter moon because the shadow accentuates textures like craters and mountains, but there is something striking about a big, bright, full moon filling up the eyepiece. And almost any telescope will do. Even binoculars will show details you can’t see with the naked eye.

Oh, and just because the moon won’t be full on Christmas doesn’t mean it won’t be worth a look then either. Again, shadows are fun.